Exposed for Getting Car Washes Several Times Weekly, County Sups to Cutback

Responding to a report that he and some of his colleagues have their county-issued vehicles washed two to three times per week, despite a four-year drought and state-mandated reductions in water use, Supervisor Don Knabe said today he will ask that county car washes be restricted to once a month.

Knabe plans to introduce a motion at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting limiting the frequency of car-washing, and also asking for a report on the feasibility of using recycled water at county car washes.

His motion notes that according to the Internal Services and Public Works departments, the county has not decreased its water consumption over the past year, “and it is unclear why this is the case.”

The Daily News reported this week that Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas had one of his county-issued Chrysler 300 Limited sedans washed an average of 2.7 times per week last year, and the frequency actually increased to 3.1 times per week following Gov. Jerry Brown’s April mandate for a statewide 25 percent cut in water use.

Christina Villacorte, Ridley-Thomas’ Deputy for Communications, said, “The supervisor was not aware of the frequency of the washes performed on his car.”

Unable to confirm the accuracy of the report, Villacorte said the supervisor supports plans to limit washing of county vehicles.

“Los Angeles County’s Internal Services Department has restricted washes of county vehicles to once a week, at most, and the supervisor believes that is sufficient,” said Villacorte.

Knabe and Supervisor Mike Antonovich had their SUVs washed about twice a week, and their frequency of washes also increased after April, the Daily News reported.

In response to the report, the county Internal Services Department announced that it will immediately restrict washes of county vehicles to once a week. But Knabe wrote in his motion that while he appreciates the effort, it does not go far enough.

His motion calls for the county “to develop a policy to limit car washing activity to at most once a month.” He also asks for a report within 30 days on the possibility of using recycled water at the washes.

City News Service; Photo: flkr.com